


Pray for Dawn

by AceStarlight1358



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Coming of Age, Multi, My First Fanfic, Narrator Changes, POV First Person, Post-Canon, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-06 23:50:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19073194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceStarlight1358/pseuds/AceStarlight1358
Summary: MAJOR KH3 SPOILERS. THE PLOT OF THIS STORY IS DURING AND POST EVENTS FROM KH3. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING.The Keyblade War has come and gone, and now Roxas, Axel, and Xion have to grapple with the one thing they've all wanted since the beginning of their Organization days: a normal life.





	Pray for Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all criticism will be graciously accepted. This is the first time I'm trying to plan something way ahead of time and write it all out.

I was told I was created by sheer data. At least, this version of me. I was told that I was the pinnacle of their research. Everything building up to this moment had been carefully produced and meticulously etched into my heart, body, and soul. Everything from the Digital Twilight Town that had any semblance of me was looked at, analyzed, processed, and refined. The complete work was me. I was their masterpiece. But the problem isn’t that I’ve come back. It’s that I’m not whole.

In order for me to be whole, I need to reunite with my current heart. My flimsy heart can only give me my appearance, and basic brain function, but none of the strength to convey that I am me. I can’t communicate with anyone to stop rigging me up with needles and suction cups. I can’t move to take these devices off of me. I can only lay here, and think...and think about thinking. This is the absolute worse.

I heard lots of people while in this semi-comatose state. Familiar and unfamiliar. For example, I know I heard Vexen and Demyx from time to time, checking in on me. I heard all of the Organization members that either died during the secret mission or was slain by Sora. In hindsight, I think Sora was using my anger like that man wanted. He couldn’t have hurt a fly and yet he goes and destroys the majority, if not all, of the Organization. But, regardless of what happened then, I need things to happen now.

The connection. That’s all the Organization has been talking about for the past three days. The connection between me and Sora has to be met in order for me to be “whole”, or presently conscious and awake in this new body. But, as time goes on, the number of days I have left before my heart decays shrinks. Then they would make a decision: either start a new heart or give up on the whole matter. So, clearly, I’m begging for a miracle. I want Sora to do his magical friends' spiel that he does all the time, remember me, and I get poofed back into existence, no strings attached. I really hope he does soon. I heard he was fighting again.

There was this day that I had. It was a lot of me doing nothing, as usual. It didn’t help that all I was capable of was nothing. I just laid there, motionless, and waiting for the miracle to come around. I heard the door open and expected to hear Xaldin or Lexaeus again, but I heard a new voice since I came back. I recognized him.

“How is his status?”

“Master Ansem, his heart is doing optimal, despite circumstances. We could keep him in this state for as long as the others need it.”

“Wonderful. Hopefully, this whole thing will be over soon.”

It’s the man with scarves all around his head. I never caught his name. I never wanted to. I never wanted to get up from this table more and show that old man whose boss.

“Sir, his heart rates! They’re accelerating!” Zexion strode to my devices and started pushing buttons, with little beeps and boops associated with them.

Ansem didn’t run towards my direction, or panic, or anything. He just laughed a dry laugh. Oh, how much I hate him.

“Nothing is the matter. That means he must recognize my voice.”

“Then why is his heart rate at 107 BPM?”

“He’s angry at me, young one,” he finally walked over towards my lifeless body, “Angry at everything I did to him and his friends.”

Zexion replied with a simple “Oh”, and proceeded to click more buttons and tap things. I can’t exactly tell what he is doing, since, ya know, I can’t see? But what I can do is feel emotion. A great plus, but the problem is that it’s all focused around Ansem at the moment. Hate might be a strong word for some people, but I hate this man. If I weren’t half dead, I would sucker punch him right now and get out of here. Find someone, anyone to help me get out of this place. Axel. I would need to find Axel. If...he’s still around, that is. Or cares. While all these thoughts were swirling in my head, I suddenly felt a hand ride the waves of my hair. Then, he spoke to me.

“I know you are angry at me. You cannot hide the feelings of your heart from us. I can understand every flirt of emotions that runs rampant across your feeble heart. I can ensure you, we are doing everything in our power in order to resuscitate you. Once you are free of the shackles of sleep, you may never have to see me or be here ever again. That’s the least I can offer you.”

That’s when I felt two droplets land on my arm before something made contact with my head. It felt like skin and hair. And a familiar wetness.

“I am sorry. I apologize. You may choose to accept it or not, but communicating that is how I can proceed with my atonement.”

A...tone...ment? Does that mean forgiveness? On one hand, I would have told him that I would have never forgiven him for the torture that he put me through. Those memories will stay locked within my fake heart and my real heart forever (hopefully). But, on the other hand...at least he’s giving an effort. If he were truly stuck in his old ways, I wouldn’t be able to think about how hairy he is, or how loud his sobs were. It’s quite apparent that he cares at some level. But maybe I’ll never know the depths of his forgiveness.

After his head left my shoulder, he cleared his throat and asked Zex-...I mean, Ienzo, to print off some paperwork for him. That’s a weird name you got there, Ienzo. Regardless, I hear the whirring of a printer and the exchange of the papers. According to him, I’m all up to speed. So now all you can do is...wait? All you can do is just wait?

So how is this productive? How is me walking the tightrope of life and death life-affirming? I want to get off of this cold, steel table and find whoever I need in order to get my revenge against Xemnas. He kept everything away from me and controlled me like a pawn in chess. He destroyed me, but my dagger of the mind is thinking.

 

Who else did he destroy? Who is she?

* * *

My name is no. i. I am a being without identity or purpose. I was told I was made to serve under the tutelage of Master Xehanort. Xemnas introduced me as the 13th member of this Real Organization. Some people started to laugh. Some people yelled at Xemnas. Some people wanted a boy named Roxas instead. Xemnas simply stated that Roxas was missing, so I am a worthy replacement. Especially since...how did he put it?

“This version of her has zero memories to make her an issue. She is just, and only ever has been, a puppet.”

I looked up at the Superior as he said this. Those words sounded like they were supposed to demean me or put me in my place, but I couldn’t respond. I didn’t want to and face being destroyed. So, as the other Organization members laughed and scoffed at me, I stood my place and allowed myself to be the joke. After my introduction, Xehanort decided to hold what he called a “Meeting of Fate”.

We discussed all kinds of things. We talked about how “Sora’s” progress in finding the power of waking was going, and how deep he was in darkness. We talked about how “Aqua” was fairing in the Realm of Darkness. How the Keyblade War was fastly approaching, and how Master Xehanort was going to finally succeed at what he’s wanted since he was “a little boy” He congratulated everyone in their efforts, and dismissed us to prepare everything.

“The War fastly approaches, and each minute we waste is more time lost. Prepare to face your fiercest battle when destiny rears her ugly head.”

Everyone disapparated, except for Xemnas, me, and another boy. He had similar stature to me but had silver hair and striking yellow eyes. He looked like a younger version of Ansem or Xemnas, and it was kind of weird to be looking at him at the same eye level. Xemnas introduced me to “Our Riku” and told me that any mission he would be assigned, I would follow through with. I was the student to his teacher. For some peculiar reason, this sounds familiar. Xemnas assured me that I will be in safe hands before apparating away.

Once it was just us two, Riku took off his hood. He had slight scars and blotches of pale skin here and there. But, from what I could gather, something of his was still “developing” and so his body needed time to adjust. When his hood was down, he took in a deep breath, looking all around the stone pillars and the brown ground that laid before us. He looked quite eager to do whatever we needed to. I could just tell that something was needed to be said or done. Something he individually wanted.

“Hey, you,” he started, facing me, “how are you feeling?”

“Well…” I stated, my voice cracking, “I don’t know. Physically, I feel healthy, but emotionally, I feel...neutral”

“Good. Then that means they got the right version of you. Tell me something...do you just want to...run away?”

Run away? Is he crazy? I looked at him through my hood, and expected a quick “Just kidding” or “Got you!”, but...he wasn’t budging. He gave me a look that was real, and he held his arms out as if he was expecting an answer. He was quite bold for suggesting the two youngest members run away.

“I...don’t want to risk anything. My allegiance is towards Xehanort.”

Riku finally cracked into a sinister sounding laugh. “Wonderful! At least you’re loyal. Now, we can proceed to today’s training.”

Before I could ask about training, a dark aura surrounded his hand. A cylinder-like aura was expanded and made into something physical. A strange wing, with a big blue cat’s eye and a braided handle, appeared in his hand. It was magic to see it come from absolutely nowhere. He observed the details of his weapon carefully, running a finger down the blunt end of the weapon. He seemed quite connected towards this weapon like it was his and his alone. Then, suddenly, he pointed the sword right at my chest. I instinctively jumped back, trying to keep myself safe.

“You and me aren’t that much different. Created for the sole purpose to serve and experiment upon. We’re puppets. Nowhere to call home and nothing to do beyond the orders of our higher-ups. We only need the praise from our masters, and we get away with living for another day. That’s our purpose. My purpose today is to get you to summon your Keyblade before the final battle, and have you ready. Do you understand?”

A...keyblade? He’s saying that I have a keyblade? Like Xehanort? I can’t help but think about how that logically doesn’t make sense. I look down at my hands and flex them into a fist, trying to remember anything that Xemnas or Xehanort told me about my unseen powers.

“I don’t think I can, Riku...I’m sorry.” I looked up at him, “Please do not be disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” He held his sword by his side and gave me the death glare. “Please.”

He lifted his sword above his head and I saw his feet shoot tendrils of darkness from beneath them. His face cracked into a nasty grin before he started dashing towards me. He wasn’t even lifting his feet; he was using the power of darkness to carry him further and faster than a sprint ever could. I only had so little time to react. I held my hands to protect my face, closed my eyes, and knelt. I could only accept the beating that was about to take place. He swung his sword downward, and-

A clash of metal was heard. A grasp of leather could be felt in my hands. I was surrounded by a plume of dirt and pebbles. His speed, strength, and however I absorbed it caused a small shockwave to be made. Once the dust settled, I could see that I held what appeared to be a giant key. My mind was telling me that this was the keyblade Riku was talking about. It was silver and gold, with the teeth jutting out in three different ways. Once I got my bearings of what just happened, I felt a surge of strength in me. I slashed at Riku, who immediately jumped back to avoid it.

“What are you doing?! You almost killed me!” I held the weapon with two hands and gave him my death state now. That’ll show him.

“That’s the point! You wielders are all the same! Don’t know what abilities you have unless staring death in the face!” His whole body was surrounded in the aura of darkness.

“Now here’s what’s on the menu. I’m going to fight you until one of two things happen. A. I beat you and take your key. Or B. I tire out and you are ready.”

Before I could object, he was going back at me for another swing. We battled for what felt like forever. He would try all kinds of strategies to get me to submit or hurt. He would get close and personal and try quick, rapid hits. Or, he would use one, hard-hitting strike to send me flying. Or, he would use his magic to project fire in my direction. If I were normal, I would be a goner. But this Key...it’s resonating with me. A connection between me and my weapon was keeping me alive. I wasn’t just all defense either; I actually had some good offense in. I could throw my sword around, and it would return to me. I could conjure the aura of light to assist my attacks. The more we fought, the more I learned. The more I learned, the better I could fight. It was a cycle of exhaustion, pain, and wisdom.

Eventually, I knew the end was coming. I was hastily making an approach towards him, and he wanted to make a guard. Knowing this, I fixated on where his grip was the weakest. I struck upwards against his blade, and he lost enough grip to send the demon wing flying. Before it even reached the peak of its launch, I knocked Riku down with a swift strike across the chest, and he fell on his back. Then, I came to stomp on him, keeping him down. He yelped in pain before I managed to hold the keyblade towards his chest. His winged sword finally hit the ground several feet away from us.

“Stand down!” I was panting. I wanted this over with. I didn’t want to fight anymore.

Riku tried moving my foot with his hands, but he was too tuckered out to do anything. He eventually flopped his arms out from the rest of his body and admitted defeat. I took that as permission to drop my own weapon, and drop to a knee, coughing. I had to recover my energy somehow. The sun beat down on my black-clothed back, and I could feel my sweat drop to the ground. I was exhausted, to say the least. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I realized how much trouble we could get into for starting in-fighting. Riku just looked up at me, defeated.

“You’re...better than I thought, puppet,” he stated, attempting to get up, but still a bit woozy.

“Why did you fight me? Xehanort is going to kill us!”

“No way. This was the mission for the day. Get you up to speed.”

He did mention something before fighting, but that feels like eons ago.

“You...you couldn’t have just used Heartless?”

“Considering how you just destroyed me in combat, I think Heartless would have been too easy on you. Now we both need rest.”

He summoned a dark portal. I didn’t care where it led. Probably somewhere better.

“The War is upon us. You’re ready to fight now."

* * *

 Today is the day. The Keyblade War is upon us. I am tasked to team up with Saix and fight the Guardians of Light that stand between us and world domination. If I can do that, they promise that they can give me a heart of my own. Just for the servitude I will practice today, I will gain my own personality. My own identity. Something Saix describes as “a wonderful gift”. It certainly looks exciting. All of the other Seekers convey the strangest emotions and, in a way, it feels right. But, for now, I must focus on the task at hand, and slay whoever I am presented with.

Saix and I sit in the arena that Xehanort made for us. He stands with his claymore, Lunatic, and takes in the atmosphere with his eyes. Due to my existence as a Replica, I am able to possess a copy of not just the Keyblade, but his claymore. When Xemnas made that clear to Saix, he grinned like a madman. When I asked him why he was so happy I was using his weapon, he simply stated “It’s ironic.” So I guess a small girl holding a big weapon is funny to everyone? Regardless, I stand with him, ready to fight at any moment.

He sighs, and further tightens his grip on Lunatic. He’s clearly ready, but he has a certain aura to him. Not just his lunacy abilities, either. I don’t think he really wants to do this. Now he’s holding his claymore with two hands, and eyeing all of the parts to it. There’s something sad to his eyes that I couldn’t describe further.

“Let’s just get this over with so we can put this far behind us, puppet.” He finally speaks to me, and prepares his claymore in a fighting position.

In my line of vision I detect two people. A red haired man in a similar black coat to us, and a red haired girl in a pink dress. They’re both holding Keyblades, so I automatically assume that their quick haste towards us makes them our enemy. They’re Guardians. I prepare my claymore, and wait for Saix to make the first move. I don’t want to jump the gun and get destroyed before the fight even starts. The two Guardians reach our arena, and the red haired man points his fiery Keyblade in our direction.

“Isa, listen to me! You don’t have to do this!” _Isa?_

“I’ve accepted my fate a long time ago, Lea.” So his name is Lea, got it.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way! You and your partner could just walk away and not let Xehanort have his way! We can help you!” The girl then speaks, her free arm moving to exaggerate her words while the other holds firm to her flowery Keyblade.

“As if you could help, Princess.” Saix now charges full speed.

“Kairi, get the small one! I’ll get Isa!” Lea also approaches towards Saix.

In an attempt to get a jump on Kairi, I make a mad dash in her direction. She’s easily expecting it, and uses a Barrier spell to block my immediate downward swing. Then, she retaliates with an elegant advance of attacks. I get knocked back, and I’m forced to raise my guard as she sends a Firaga in my way. Once it’s made contact, she uses the coverage the smoke and light provides to send me flying with a spinning diagonal rise. I land directly on my back, and Kairi points her sword at me before sending a ball of Light towards my direction. That’s when I feel a surge of energy flow through me.

My powers are connected through Saix’s because of the weapon. So whenever he would rage, so would I. So, in the moment of her Holy impact, I dissipated the energy with a light blue flame of my own. Then, using the claymore’s impact to propel myself forward, I quickly get an edge on Kairi and struck her legs clean. She’s hit far, but towards Lea’s side, who uses the opportunity to defend from Saix’s offense with fire. That’s when I hear him.

“Kairi! Axel!” The boy with brown hair quickly approached, with a key like mine. Lea shot him a smile and stated his name before I try to pull a fast one and attack, which is swiftly retaliated. For some reason, the name Sora ignites a twinge of pain in me. I need to extinguish it. We all prepare to fight side by side, then we charge towards each other. This is Destiny’s chance to show us who are the true rulers of the worlds. Light or Darkness.

* * *

 

Saix enters his final lunatic phase, and shoots the two kids away. He sprints towards the two fallen, but Lea steps in to defend the two. With one swift strike, Saix knocks Lea down to his knee. Before Saix is able to strike, Lea looks at him with pained eyes. Be it a loss of energy or something snapped in him, he stays his hand. In his lunacy phase, he loses all sense of control. So why is he not blasting him? His face is expressionless, so I cannot say what he’s feeling. I’m not even sure if he can talk normally in this state. I watch from a distance, exhausted, as Xemnas appears into the scene.

Lea shoots Xemnas a dirty glare before uttering his name. “Xemnas!”

“There was a time when I trusted you to deal with traitors. And now, your betrayal outstrips them all. What final words do you have for your superior?” Xemnas speaks very coldly towards his former henchmen.

“Well, let me think about...How about, ‘You were never my Superior?’” His smirk grows with each passing word.

“Ah, ever the rogue pawn. Knocked from the board early in the game. Utterly useless          and forgotten.”

“You kidding? Do you know how popular I am? I got loads of people rooting for me! Sorry, boss. No one axes Axel. Got it memorized?” After his spiel, he quickly tries to strike the Nobody’s shoulder. But, clearly, Axel underestimated the strength of him.

He quickly grabs the shaft, and calls his Keyblade a joke before channeling his powers. They grow into vines of Nothingness and with one snap of his hand, his Keyblade slowly dissipates into tendrils of fire. As Lea is thrown backwards, Xemnas channels more power that culminates into a big ball of dark energy, dotted with light beams. Before long, the lasers start to strike Lea, who screams in pain as a result. Something is triggered inside of me, but I can’t put my finger on it.

Is...is this what emotion feels like? A twinge of...something. I feel like I knew this person, from a long time ago, even though we just met in the battlefield. A general feeling of betrayal, loss, and being responsible for his demise. I’ve realized that I’ve had something to do with his downfall. Is this what guilt feels like? I can’t just stand here and watch him get slain. He’s...my friend. The words don’t apply to him, but it feels right saying it, if that makes any sense. With that, I drop the claymore, and before Xemnas can deliver the killing blow, I grab the laser with my hand. The smell of singed cloth and leather stream from my hand.

“Changing sides again?” I can feel his dagger-like eyes piercing my skull.

“We need him alive. You know that.” I try to make up some semblance of an argument.

“We only need his heart in order to forge the key. We do not need his soul.”

Then he gets an idea. “Oh...but that’s right. You were ‘friends.’ Then...you take his life.”

How did he know what was going through my head? Why does he think I’m betraying the cause? No matter. All I must do is take my keyblade, and put him down. But, as I point my Key in his direction, my hand shakes. I’m not scared! At least, I don’t...think I am. Why do these emotions have to interfere with my actions now? Before I am able to strike, Sora’s hand pulls my keyblade down, and tells me to not do this.

In his eyes, I recognize someone. A boy I once knew. These emotions rush into me, and I’ve quickly overwhelmed by them. The more I feel these emotions fill my empty body, the more infuriated I get. I start to last out against Sora, who blocks it. Again and again, I start to beat him down to no avail. With each strike, I hear a familiar voice ring beneath his grunts of difficulty. This angers me further, as he asks me to wait! You’re keeping me waiting, Sora! Keeping me from being whole! I use all of my force in one overhead swing, and he holds my keyblade against his own.

“It’s all right! You can stop now!” Sora’s voice cracks underneath the facade of bravery. I don’t want to break his weapon or his heart, but I must claim my identity. Then, I hear him.

“It’s all right...Xion.”

 _Roxas._ That’s him. That’s the boy’s name. As soon as I make this realization, my brain starts to thump in excruciating pain. A tsunami of memories and emotions fill my vision, and they are all surrounded by Roxas, Axel, and the Organization. I remember everything Xemnas put me through, all the experiments Vexen had me commit, and all the atrocities I had to do in order to win my own heart. But, deep down, a heart was growing from the very start. Sora had that part of me for who knows how long, and now the utterance of my real name sparked it’s return. My head burns with each new entry, and I’m forced to stand down in order to alleviate this pain. Sora only watches from behind me, desperate for anything.

All I hear in my head is Xion. Xion. Xion. Xion. Xion.

Xemnas quickly apparates behind me. He calls me a useless puppet before kicking me into Sora. My hood flies off due to the wind, and my face is revealed for the world to see. As I fall, I hear Axel call out to me. I land, and the pain of the fight and the return of my current heart overwhelms my body. I am forced to watch Xemnas create a laser. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Axel crawl towards Xemnas’ foot, and grab firm. At least he’s trying.

“Your keyblade is no more. And still you think you can play at being a guardian of light?” He stomps the frail hand of Axel, who retracts before emitting the words: “You can wait your turn...also-ran.”

As weak as I am, I’m calling out to someone. All of us are. We need you.

* * *

 The monitors start to go off. Zexion tries typing all sorts of noise to figure out what’s going on. But, Ansem is quickly able to decipher the details.

“Remember when Sora was comatose for nearly a year? These are the same conditions for a heart that is about to reawaken. Roxas,” he turns his attention away from Zexion, “use your heart to destroy the Darkness, and bring back the peace.”

My hand slowly starts to move on its own. I am not controlling the joints or anything. It’s forming the grip of the Keyblade. Then, I hear the familiar shwing of the Key. The tight leather keeps a firm hold on my hand. I feel something pulling the energy I am feeling from my heart to my weapon, and I hear the Light shoot across the room, and a cracking of metal and the flying of paper is immediately heard next.

“Do not worry, boy! He has not hurt a thing!” Ansem and Zexion slowly lift me from my bed, and carry me to whatever I just created. I can feel myself gaining control of my body once again before Ansem whispers these words into my ear. “May your heart be your guiding key.”

With that, I am practically thrown into what I thought was a wall. Instead, I’m thrown into what feels like breathable water. I’m floating, but I can breath. I gain full control of my eyes, and open them to see a bright swirl of colors. I look down towards my body and see the familiar Organization coat. At least I will be protected from Darkness corruption. Am I...in the Realm Between? Ansem said something about being able to traverse world to world using the regions that walk between the light and darkness. I guess I am here now. My heart sent me here before I was able to communicate with it, so I need to think of where to go.

Where is Sora? He has to be the closest thing that I have to being fully saved. He has my original heart, after all. Once the unionization of our hearts have been made, I will be fully able to kick Xemnas’ butt. I will exact the revenge that was etched into my heart and destroy Kingdom Hearts. I can have a normal life again. I can forget everything there is to know about hearts, light, darkness, and live an ordinary life with my friends. Hayner, Pence, Ollette… and the two others. Axel and Xion. I feel them.

I feel them all! They’re calling out to me! They remembered! My keyblade shines bright, and I know exactly where I need to go. My heart will be my guiding key. With a conjuration of power, I shoot another beam of light, and crack open another portal. Before I dive in, I take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself. I can hear their pleas of help. They are desperate for someone, anyone to act as their guardian angel. I fly down towards the portal, and see where it leads me.

I immediately begin falling. Well, this is great. Thanks, Oathkeeper, for screwing me before I even walk on my own again. But, maybe it isn’t so bad. It’s around this point that I feel something inject into my chest. It feels a lot more...complete now. That was my original heart. Since I knew everything up until my original reunion of Sora, it didn’t take long for the new memories to readjust in my brain. It felt like a filing cabinet that needed reorganizing, but at light speed. As I am falling, I feel Sora’s adventures etch themselves into my brain, and recognize Axel. He has a keyblade now?! I thought me and Sora were the special ones! Well, us two and the other one...no time to think, I need to land!

I see the big brown pile of rubble expand beneath me, and I squat my legs in order to further break the fall. At the last second, I conjure an aura of light to help me not destroy my body. It actually worked, too. The light marvelously cushions the fall and I am left standing in a dust cloud, no legs broken or anything. I really should be dead, but I’ll take it. I tighten my grip on my Keyblades in order to reassure myself that I am, indeed, wielding them. That’s when I hear his stupid voice. “This cannot be!”

Yeah, it CAN be! I just came back from the dead! What are you gonna do about it? I rise from my kneeling position, and see several figures looking over at me. I can feel my anger of revenge and my love for those two rise with each passing moment, and my power over the Light is only growing with my overbearing emotions.

“Hands off my friends.”

* * *

 Could you imagine the circumstances that I have gotten myself into? I have been working for literal months towards being able to use this thing. This Keyblade means so much to so many people, and I finally get one! But you get shoved into this War, which will result in the balance of the Worlds being completely upended. You participate in this War, because you care about your wellbeing in that world, along with all the others that you’ve befriended. Then, once you’re fighting, the unthinkable happens! A grey-haired prick decides that you no longer deserve the special Keyblade, voids it, and then lasers you to the cusp of death! Yeah, that’s the circumstance I’m in! Quite shit!

But, hey, there is a bright side to all this. My best friends are back. Roxas is currently making some long winded speech about how he came back with replicas and how Xemnas is an anti social dummy. Meanwhile, Xion, bless her, is standing their and trying to look aggressive with her baby face. I guess I need to look mean too. Quick, tense up your eyebrows and then Xemnas will take you more seriously! Anyway, long story short, Roxas and Xion are back, baby!

Xemnas clearly does not enjoy my happiness, because he tells us “I don’t need hearts. I will scatter them all to the winds!” as he raises his arms and approaches us, all melodramatic. I’m prepared to fight again, but he apparates, and that’s when we hear Kairi from behind us.

“Kairi!” Sora calls out, holding out a hand.

Xemnas is holding her arm in such a unique way, that Kairi can’t even rotate her wrist and strike without looking like a pushover. That’s when he begins to talk again.

“What difference does one little light make? You have others. Just as we have more darknesses to replenish our ranks.” As he utters those final words, he apparates away.

Sora is clearly pissed his girlfriend has been swiped. Again. So he’s going to charge with his Key. But, Saix is there in order to deflect any attempts at princess saving. That’s when Roxas arrives with his two. It’ll be like old times, man! Me and the two kids fighting big bads, and the whole nine yards! But, before I’m able to interject…

“Rest, Axel,” excuse me, “Roxas will fight in your place. And I’ll fight for Kairi.” In retrospect, maybe getting my ass whooped and then going after my old best friend wouldn’t be the smartest idea in the book.

“Yeah...When it comes to Keyblades, you’re the old hands.” I cheerfully respond before heading off towards the walls. Every step makes twinges of pain in my body, and I finally get to cover and hide beneath some rubble by the time the three kids all start to fight.

Now I’m forced to be the fan, cheering them on. I trained this hard to fight, and now I’m spectating! Ridiculous, if you ask me. But, as long as we have the right number of Guardians for the job, then I can take a breather. Watching them flip around and fight is something else, though. Sora got these new powers of transforming his Keyblade into practically anything he wants. So, he’s whipping out a giant freaking flag and twirling it around like he’s in a flag line. If there’s anyone that deserves a bigger break, it’s Sora. Saved the world twice, maybe three times, and all for her. Sounds quite familiar, don’t it?

Meanwhile, Roxas and Xion are putting in work as well. Roxas is fully using his weaponry abilities by flying, dashing, striking, and doing everything in his power to look like a freaking ninja. He even has some impressive light magic going for him. Xion isn’t too far behind in ability. She’s casting all kinds of magic, and creating huge pillars of light in order to provide necessary coverage for everyone. Separately, each wielder is impressive. But together? They are a tank.

Now you may have noticed why I haven’t mentioned how the opponent is doing. That’s because that opponent also happens to be my old best friend who spoke to me about this war yesterday! So to be honest with you, I’m feeling quite conflicted! In one hand, he seriously deserves to get neutralized for everything he did. He was quite the show off and tyrant in the Organization days. He still is! But, on the other hand, he’s _still_ my friend, despite our past. I still care immensely for him. But if this how fate will dictate us, then so be it.

Roxas takes one last good swing out onto Isa’s back, and that’s when he collapses. Sora tells everyone to fall back, and they listen. Naturally, of course, since they were birthed by him in some capacity. Isa struggles to reach his feet, and dark aura resonates from his body. He tries using his claymore for support, but that disappears, so he’s reduced to his knees. Him struggling triggers something in me, and I make a run towards him. I feel like I’m about to cry, seeing him in this state. But then he says the stupidest thing.

“Why...so _sad?”_ Even now, as he’s defeated, he has to belittle me. The tears are replaced with brotherly anger.

“You let them reduce you to **this**?”

“I thought...you outgrew the marks under your eyes.”

Why does he have to keep mentioning them? I trace where they used to be, and asked “So?” As if he would care.

“You look...like you need them…” He’s struggling to even speak. He needs to relax.

“Stop it. The whole act.” I need to nudge him to tell me the truth.

“I thought this was all for her.”

“At first. I sacrificed everything to try and track her down. You’re the one who went off and made other friends. Left her and me both in the dust. It infuriated me how you just exited our lives.” That’s when he clutched his heart, pain twisting his face.

“I lost...all sense of purpose…” At least he’s opening up to me, despite his near-fate.

“I didn’t forget you.” Come on, Lea, be reassuring. Even if you feel like crying.

“Yes...I know. You wouldn’t do that.” That’s when he looks over towards Roxas and Xion. The kids look scared as hell. As if Saix was gonna give them another command to fight another Orcus. But, this wasn’t Saix speaking to us. It was Isa.

“But...I was jealous.”

Now this brings a smile to my face. “You admit it.”

“Well, if I make it back...you won’t get it out of me a second time…” He tries to rise to his feet again, but the damage has been done. His body is fading away.

With one more brief smile, I wish him farewell. He does the same before closing his eyes, and finally fading away in a pit of black and purple aura. I can’t help but gaze at the lingering essence of where my friend used to be. Thinking about all that he said, what I said, what it all means. But I’m thrust back into the realms of reality when I look over to see Sora look at me with bewilderment and nervousness. Sora, never change, you glorious bastard.

Now I have to act like an adult again. “You go help Kairi.”

“Right,” he reaffirms before looking over to his...siblings? Creations? How does this all work in the grand scheme of things?

“Gotta run! Good luck.” With that, he turns and sprints out.

Now I start to think. What do I have to do in order to ensure victory? What do I need to tell the other two that will help them better understand what’s going on? How am I gonna get the Keyblade back? While all these questions swirl in my head, I guess I start thinkin’ aloud, because Roxas approaches me with his big, goofy smile. I shoot a smile back, and right then and there, we hear sobs. We turned our eyes to see Xion.

She’s standing with her hands interlaced with each other. She’s trying to minimize herself and hide. But, what can’t be hidden is her tears. Puffy red eyes and rivers of tears stream down her face. She takes a few small steps in our direction, and looks up at us. This only illicites **more** tears to come out. Roxas’ first reaction is getting to her side to make sure she’s okay. Now I’m starting to realize why she’s crying. And why I’m about to.

“Guess I...shoulda brought some ice cream.” I try to bring the mood back up. Roxas turns to me, and they both shoot me smiles, tears still filling their eyes.

I try to shoot a smile back, but it’s only there for a second. My emotions get the best of me and I start to feel a tear develop. My body automatically makes an effort to reach them, and without thinking, I wrap my arms around the two. They enclose themselves in my hug, and together, we start sobbing. I couldn’t hide the fact that I really missed these two goobers. Nothing in this life will be better than finding my two best friends again. For a while, we just stand there, taking in all of the emotions and expelling them with our eyes. Eventually, I snap out of it, and stand upright, wiping the remaining tears out of my eyes.

“All right, feelin’ better?” I ask, and they nod, “Good. Now, let’s find some place to sit and relax.”

I turn, and as I walk, I hear the other two quickly make their way to my side and keep up. I still hear little sniffles and sighs, but as long as we are making progress, then that’s all right with me! We exit out of the holes of the arena, and find ourselves in several winding paths. After studying the routes, I decide the best place to sit is right here, right now. Plop.

“All right, so here’s the plan. For as long as we have time for, you guys will be allowed to ask any questions about what’s going on, to the best of my ability, no problem!”

Roxas and Xion look at each other a bit, then Roxas shoots first.

“Are you Axel or Lea? I’ve heard it interchanged so much, and it’s a bit confusing.” He does the familiar head scratch thing whenever he’s nervous.

“Well, by technicalities, I am Lea. I do want people to call me Axel, but at this point, I’ve given up on correcting people.”

“So...you wouldn’t mind?” Xion chimes in.

“Of course I don’t mind! Next question.”

“Who's that girl you and Saix were talking about…?” Damn it, Xion.

“I, uh...that’s another story for another day, next que-”

“No, no, no! You said there would be no problems!” Roxas I swear to God.

“Well, I’m the one that makes the rules to question time, and that’s the only rule! No asking about her until further notice!”

“Well, fine. I knew you and Isa were friends. Do you think he’ll come back?”

“I...think so? I mean, if he doesn’t turn up, I’ll personally drag him back.”

“Do you think he’d be...okay with being friends with us? He did admit to being jealous of us, after all.” Xion is asking the good questions here.

“That will be answered once I see him again.”

“What happened to your Keyblade?”

“I...uh...don’t know.” I hold my hand out, and attempt to call upon it. Nothing. It feels like a wall is blocking that flow of energy, like a dam. “Xemnas did that weird nulling magic and now, I don’t think I’ll ever get the keyblade ag-”

 _Shwink_.

...really? You **had** to do that like in the Tower? I see how it is.

Roxas and Xion are quickly taken aback by the instant rejection of my hypothesis. At least the blockade was temporary? Xion excitedly claps about it, with a grin erupting.

“Good job! It’s so pretty!” Xion takes her hand, and carefully pokes one of the points before grazing her fingers across the glowing flames.

“I know! Lady Luck was kind to me!”

As if on cue, we saw a giant light erupt above us. The clouds parted for what looked like a moon. It took me a second to recognize the structure, but once I did, I gasped. It was...Kingdom Hearts. Xehanort actually did it.

Roxas shot to his feet, and conjured his two keyblades. “I think Sora is gonna need our help.”

“I second that!” I immediately get to my feet, with my new weapon in hand.

Xion gets up as well, and we all start to sprint towards the closest path. Time to change the world.

* * *

 Immediately following question time, Axel, Xion and I all had big roles to play in saving the world. We immediately arrived to the big pillar that Sora was on, and found that everyone else had the same ideas that we had. Sora needed help from everyone in order to control Kingdom Hearts, and that’s exactly what we gave him. Help and time. Sora was able to abuse some time shenanigans in order to infiltrate Xehanort’s...heart, slay him, and bring light back to Kingdom Hearts. The city, for the brief moment we were in there, was beautiful. Reminded me a lot of Twilight Town…

After the finale, we all gathered where the Fallen Keyblades were, and determined we were all good. Except for Sora. He still had Kairi to go and find. King Mickey didn’t want him to, but Riku knew through experience that Sora was determined to get Kairi back, even if it meant he’d disappear. In my heart of hearts, I knew Sora could do it and get away with it. He’s just that kind of guy to play with destiny like it’s a toy. I can’t wait to see him again.

Once he made the decision, Sora gave his gummi ship to Riku in order to take us to our destinations. Before we could all leave, Sora promised that in a week, we should meet at Destiny Islands and celebrate their return. He accompanied this idea with a cheesy grin, and said that ever persistent phrase of “It’s a promise,” so I guess that means he’ll just be peachy keen. Riku was the first to wish him luck, followed by everyone else. Then, we boarded the Highwind, and made our way out.

Riku first flew King Mickey back to his Kingdom, along with his court mage and knight. That way, he can assume his regular duties of King instead of Keyblade Master. Then, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus retreated to the reconstructed Land of Departure. Their plans amount to mourning Eraqus, finally, and training the next generation of wielders, because as Aqua puts it: “Who knows when the next evil will rise?” Finally, Riku asked us where we would want to go. The three of us didn’t even give it a second thought or a moment more. We wanted to go home.

After we landed, our first goal was to investigate what happened with Saix. Since he was still Lea’s friend, he probably had enough of a reason to grab his humanity again and become whole. So, after a day of theorizing, Lea realized that the only three places he could come back was either in Twilight Town, the Graveyard, or Radiant Garden. After a search, we scratched out the Town, and Lea had to call Riku and transport him to Radiant Garden. Some teasing was exchanged, before Riku gave him the Ok. After Axel was gone, we had a couple of days to kill.

Me and Xion were really left to our own devices. Free to finally choose whatever we wanted to do. The first thing we realized is that we needed somewhere to reside in, and seeing as how we didn’t even want to check to see if our old base was around, we decided to look throughout town. Thankfully, Hayner, Pence, and Ollette had an apartment, and let us crash their for the two or three days we had to be there. They didn’t alienate us when they realized that Xion and I had no idea on how to do basic living needs, like cleaning and cooking. We usually let our Nobody henchmen do all the busy work. Thankfully, they taught us.

Xion thinks that the townspeople are a lot happier than before. It’s like they know, even unconsciously, that we made the worlds a bit brighter. They smile when we talk to them, or shake our hand when introduced. At least, that’s what Xion thinks. She always sees the positive in everything, even if she’s down on her luck. You can’t help but smile around her.

Eventually, we got a teary eyed Lea calling us. He finally found Isa, and after their reunion, invited him back to Twilight Town. Without consulting us. Before we could argue, Lea swears that Isa is different from Saix, and without Xemnas or Xehanort or whoever controlling him, he’s a better guy. Logistically speaking, he probably wouldn’t be a bad addition either. He’s got quite the voice and could probably get a boot camp leader job. Even if it will take us a bit to warm up to the New Saix, he does need a new home. At least he was okay with even living with us. I guess that’s a start.

Once Lea came back, Isa had a new outfit on. It was black, like everyone else's. The sleeves were snow camo, and he had enough of a turtle neck in order to hide his mouth whenever he tilted his head down. And that’s only slightly exaggerating. He had a moon emblem attached to his chest, and his jacket was zipped all the way up. There was a slightly brighter patch of cloth on his chest, attached by buttons and stitching. To be honest, he did look pretty swanky. An evil swanky.

Eventually, the day arrived where Riku was going to gather all of the Guardians, and take us to the Islands. Lea suggested that we meet for ice cream at the Clock Tower, as per usual, so we can start the day on a great foot forward. I invited Hayner, Pence, and Ollette to come sit with us, and they happily accepted and joined us on that day. We ate sea salt ice cream, and discussed at length about all of the things that we were planning. Hayner, Pence, and Ollette had plans on working and saving money until they can go to college into whatever they wanted to pursue. That’s when I realized that none of us had a...goal in mind.

Yay, Riku’s here! Let’s ignore that realization and see Sora!

We all absconded into Riku’s ship, and met up with the others. We were the last to get picked up, and there was plenty to talk about. The Departure Gang already had a class assembling, with more flying from around the worlds to sign up. Mickey has started an initiative to expand his town and allow the next generation to thrive. Donald and Goofy flirted with the ideas of raising families and training some of the younger cadets. Meanwhile, Riku has assisted Yen Sid with the expedited search of Sora and Kairi. His life is so intertwined with theirs, that he’s determined to bring them back. Finally, we all got introduced (or re-introduced, in some cases) to Namine, who was recently recreated rapidly with the help of Ansem the Wise. She’s still a bit quiet, but she’ll catch on.

Once we arrive, the sand pressed against my bare feet. Lea promised us that one day, we would all hit the beach and celebrate our earnings towards the Organization. Or was that Xion? Regardless, we finally fulfilled that goal of ours to enjoy the beach. Immediately, I felt a wooden slab hit my back lightly, and I looked to see Ventus holding a smiling frisbee. My doppleganger (or am I his doppleganger?) cracked a grin before betting that I wouldn’t be able to catch up to his superior throwing skills. I bet him he wouldn’t catch up to mine, and eventually, Lea and Isa got thrown into the mix as well.

Meanwhile, Xion and Namine hung out a lot. They were less interested in playing frisbee or making sand-men, and more interested in collecting seashells and talking about who knows what. I asked the both of them several times if they wanted to play, but they were more keen is discussing the differences between the same seashells than anything. Let them be dorks on their own, we’re being fit! Eventually, I had to take a breather, and I met up with Aqua and Terra, who were eyeing me from time to time.

They told me that the ability I possessed was quite palpable. Being able to wield 2 keyblades was unrivaled, let alone being efficient at it. They offered me exclusive tutoring so that I could become the next Keyblade Master, and be the protector of Twilight Town. Even if this was what Destiny had in store for me, I had my doubts. I didn’t think I was Master material, considering my status as a Nobody-gone-Somebody. Besides, I really wasn’t interested in fighting anything anymore, even if it was for a greater good. Before I could decline, I saw a bright light at the paopu fruit tree.

He’s back. They’re back!

Before we could do anything, Riku and Mickey advised that we stay our ground and give them their moment. Besides, the volatile situation may have adverse effects. So, we waited. The phrase “touch with your eyes” never became so real as it is now. We all stared and watched as the two held hands and look out towards the setting sun and the sea. It felt unreal, truly. Now everyone can be happy together. Now everyone can forget about the past-

Suddenly, Sora started sparkling. That’s when I was able to see through his body, and couldn’t discern the difference between the refractions of the sea and his light blinking. Then, a moment later, he fully disappeared, sending ribbons and twinkles of light into the sky. The hand once held now laid empty, and Kairi looked down with an expression of shock on her face. The sun disappeared beneath the horizon as we all realized. Her light was gone.

Our light was gone.

Sora’s gone.

  



End file.
